Morning Focus – Tuesday August 18th

On Tuesday's Morning Focus with Pat Flynn

The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen, is travelling to Egypt today for a series of meetings to discuss the case of Ibrahim Halawa. It's now two years since the 19 year old from Dublin was arrested in Cairo, and his trial date has been delayed several times. There have been calls for the Irish government to put more pressure on Egypt to release the teenager. Deputy Breen met with the Halawa family yesterday. He told us about the trip and what is expected to happen when he gets there. He also spoke about the reduction in ambulance services in Ennis and Kilrush which we have been following in recent days.

Labour, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael are on course to reach a legally required quota of women candidates for the next general election and retain their full funding from the State. Under the Electoral Amendment Political Funding Bill 2011, parties must implement a gender quota for the upcoming election and must select at least 30 per cent women. Funding from the exchequer will be cut by 50 per cent if they don’t. Former Mayor of Clare, Patricia McCarthy and Director of Operations and Campaigns for the Women for Elections Group, Suzanne Collins outlined their views.

CONTINUE READING BELOW

All eyes will be on the Rose of Tralee Festival again tonight and while we don't have a Clare Rose this year, we do have something else. 32 Gardaí, postmen, teachers, farmers and accountants are taking part as escorts in the festival this year, two of which are from Clare. Along with a Newbridge Silverware 44-piece silver-plated canteen engraved with his family crest and more – they will also get to chaperone a Rose – and carry every item that she should have in a handbag in his pocket. Frank Holohan and Patrick Whelan, both from Clare outlined their reasons for getting involved.

Clare Fm's Gavin Grace joined Pat in studio following the release of a statement by the National Ambulance Service on reduced services in Ennis and Kilrush.

As you may have heard on Clare FM news this morning, rental prices are increasing in Clare and across the country. The report by daft.ie has pointed to Limerick, Galway, Cork and Dublin as some of the worst affected areas, which as students face into the new college year poses a particular problem for them. Clare FM's Fiona Cahill has been speaking with Scariff student Edel Bane and began by asking her how the accomodation crisis has affected her and her friends. Principal of St Joseph's Secondary School in Spanish Point, Mary Crawford called us to give her reaction.

A collection of previously unseen archival material relating to more than 60 families and landed estates in County Clare dating from the early 1600s to the mid-1900s is going on public display in Ennis for the first time this week. The McMahon Archival Collection is one of the largest collections of primary source documents in Clare County Council’s Archives’ repository, containing over 1,100 files spanning over three centuries. While the earliest document dates back to 1611, most of the material relates to 18th and 19th century administration and activities of the landed estates in County Clare. Archivist Rene Franklin and Anne Jones who co-authored a publication with Rene in conjunction with the Exhibition at Clare Museum joined us in studio to tell us about the exhibition.

Ham radio operators operating out of Loop Head Lighthouse made 923 contacts with counterparts in 49 other countries as part of the International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW) at the weekend. The Limerick Radio Club, which features members from Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary, operated non-stop for 48 hours from Loop Head as part of the 18th annual initiative. Shannon-based Chairman of the Limerick Radio Club Simon Kenny, spoke to Pat about how it all went.

Clare ISPCA Officer and County Dog warden Frankie Coote spoke to us about a number of missing pets, seven swans that were rescued on the road to Kilmaley this week and Feral cats.